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The Elder Days (xxx years Before the Danek Empire) At first I pitied the humans. Their lives seemed so brief... one was born and in a brief instance he was immediately snuffed out. But then I knew better. Humans are capable of achieving much in just a handful of years. They furiously thirst for more, despite their achievements, and their advancement is quite startling. ...Perhaps one day it is humanity who will pity us. -Unknown elven scholar. The Elder Days are known as the utopian era of the elven race. During this period, the stewards of nature, otherwise known as elves, had grown into a magically advanced civilization -- ever attuned to the spirit of the world, Ganemede. As such, elves made their homes in the woodlands of the massive continent in which Ganemede spawned them... and most of the races it created. The elves were organized into separate kingdoms, and while small, there were several strewn throughout the wooded lands of Ganemede. During times of great importance, the kings and queens of each woodland met in council to decide the fate of elvenkind as a whole. During the Elder Days, humanity was first born, and it was only a few years before the nomadic people came into contact with the elves. It was soon discovered that the handful of human groups that wandered into elven territory were the survivors of a genocidal war against a massive horde of orcish tribes. The orcs were long since bitter enemies of the elves, jealous of their charge as stewards of Ganemede's will. The orcish people were a shamanistic tribe, trying to perfect their commune with the planet's spirit... but never to surpass the elves. They were also an incredibly aggressive people, and saw humans as an affront to nature and as an enemy to their cause, thus sought to exterminate them. Kings and queens convened, and the elves took pity on man. Locating what sparse people they could close to Sulaihlah, the greatest of elven kingdoms in those times, they resolved to protect and nurture humanity so that it could prosper as Ganemede no doubt wanted. On the outskirts of the Sulaihlahn woods the humans built their largest settlement, and named it Westhaven. Several settlements sprang up afterward, but Westhaven was their strongest and largest of homes. And it was in Westhaven where elves began to share with humans the secrets of magic. Of the dwarves, little is known. Their existence had long since been made known to the elves, but they were a highly reclusive race at the time. During the Elder Days, the Iron Kingdom was expanding throughout the underground regions of the continent, strengthening itself through the craftsmanship and hardiness of its people. War was also brewing, as the orcish tribes aligned themselves with troll chieftains, ready to make one final push to eliminate humans forever. Notable Locations: 1. Sulaihlah: While not the largest of woodland kingdoms of the elven race during the Elder Days, Sulaihlah was nonetheless known as the most powerful. Boasting the most highly proficient leyline manipulators of their time, Sulaihlah enjoyed great prosperity during those times. For that reason Westhaven was built at the outskirts of those woods, so that the fledgling humans could learn magic from the best. The lush woods of Sulaihlah allowed humans to enter if they so wished. Otherwise, the guarded kingdom was well-defended from outside forces. 2. Westhaven: While there were a few human settlements strewn throughout the plainslands of Ganemede during that time, Westhaven was widely regarded as the largest of humankind's communities. Humanity's flight west from the orcish onslaught largely gave their settlement its namesake. As noted before, Westhaven was founded on the easternmost outskirts of Sulaihlah. While some humans could stand to live in the woods among the elven people -- and many did -- most favored the open air afforded by the plains than to live surrounded by trees at all times. Their proximity to Sulaihlah allowed for two distinctions that set all other human settlements apart. The first was an increased elven presence in their midst. Elves regularly spent time amongst the humans of Westhaven; indeed, some even lived among them. Secondly, Westhaven was where the first human mages trained and mastered the leylines of Ganemede. Thus, little by little, humans were being given the tools to defend themselves from the dangers that beset them, such as the orcish horde which threatened their very existence. Still, the community wasn't exactly overly large... nor exceedingly well defended. 3. The Alyssan Steppe: During the Elder Days, flora and fauna thrived in Ganemede. Both could not find a better home than in the Alyssan Steppe. Eastward from Westhaven, the Alyssan Steppe was an expansive territory comprised of plains and small cliffs. Said territory was considered mostly wild, though some humans grudgingly attempted to establish settlements all across its lush plain. All manner of wild beasts and exotic greenery could be found in the Steppe, and it was between some of its sheerest cliffs that the allied orcs and trolls made camp. From its central location, the bands of brutish warriors sent their extermination squads to deal with what they deemed as the human pestilence. Aside from the central orc camp, the Alyssan Steppe held many a wonder, which few dared to tread. Some elven kingdoms and even humans used the Steppe as hunting grounds, or even to send would-be adults into its wilds as a rite of passage. For as massive and diverse as the Steppe was -- not to mention dangerous -- it was certainly used often for various means. The Age of Discord (xxx years Before the Danek Empire) We say the elves have nothing more to teach us. Magic is as much a secret for us as it is to them. And yet... why does man still fight against man? Could we still not learn from the elven people? You do not see them turning swords on each other. Nay, I say we still have much to learn. I fear that one day the tools that the elves have given us will be our very undoing. -Zarkand Alistaire, 3rd Archmage of the Tower of Ages. The Age of Discord marked the ascension of the human race. It did not take them long to shift from a fledgling people in need of protection to a hardy folk who fend for their own. During the Age of Discord, the first signs of elven distrust toward humans were shown. Many a kingdom, including Sulaihlah, shut themselves off from humanity, banning them from entering their realms. Others still retained their contact with humanity, whether through alliances or simple trade. But, it was obvious that humans were spreading quickly across the expansive continent of Ganemede. The Alyssan Steppe was quickly tamed, and several cities were erected upon it by the humans. Indeed, in those days, humanity divided itself into several independent city-states, oftentimes fighting against each other over political reasons or resource nodes. The Age of Discord marked the first wars fought between members of a same race... as well as the discovery of some type of change or mutation in many a people across the continent. People began to exhibit strange abilities and supernatural powers, aside from the magic that fueled the leylines of the world. Some began to master the entirety of their minds, wielding telepathic and telekinetic might. Others simply experienced some kind of mutation, exhibiting strange and wondrous new powers never seen before. It stood to reason that such things might have existed in the past... but never in such a great number. Many a hardliner mage (or at least people who wholly trusted in magic) spoke against psychics and people with random abilities. In some cities, either or both were banned... a couple punishing such abilities with death. It is believed that such discrimination was the root cause of many of the battles fought during the age of discord. Notable Locations: 1. The Tower of Ages: Never has there existed, or will ever exist, such a commune as the Tower of Ages. Erected during the Age of Discord, the massive spire was created solely using magic, a collaboration between many an archmage belonging to not only one race. The Tower of Ages was founded toward the north of what was once the Alyssan Steppe, its surroundings cleared out to allow the establishment of a city around it. Said city bore no name; the Tower overshadowed it completely, despite the fact that it was one of the largest of its time. The Tower hosted what was known as the Commune, a large organization of mages dedicated to the study and practice of magic. Hundreds of mages made it their home, and the study and advance of magic thrived in its halls. Elven, human, and demihuman scholars of magic collaborated and lived in perfect harmony, forming a community of their own. It was these whom were the largest of voices against the powers of the mind and the genetic anomalies of the world. While the mages had yet to take extreme measures against such people, many believed it to be a matter of time before the Tower of Ages enacted whatever plans were being hatched within its halls. The city around the Tower thrived. Not only did living next to so many mages offer people a sense of protection in the city, but the Tower had also been erected near one of the entrances to the dwarven Iron Kingdom. The dwarves found humans to be more likable to them than the elves, and began to open commerce with them. The mages delighted in using dwarven materials for many rituals and enchantments... and the dwarves were eager to sell their crafts for gold. 2. Andracia: Where once the largest horde of orcs and trolls the world had ever seen had made an encampment from which they staged their genocidal campaign, the sprawling city-state of Andracia was once founded. With the surrounding cliffs cleared away to make space, the city was known as one of the largest of its time. Given its central location, Andracia saw much commerce in its time, and grew into a very rich city-state. So much so that a Merchants Guild was formed... and from that Guild, the richest of its members were the ones who openly called the shots in the city. Andracia was known as a city of extremes. Its richest merchants called the shots for the city proper. It was known for its openness, allowing all sorts of freedoms that other city-states didn't allow. Exquisite art and music poured forth from Andracia, but so did the largest and most profitable brothels. Alcoholism, debauchery, and incredible greed existed within its walls... and yet the city thrived. One of its largest peculiarities was a marked absence of a military force. Every other human city-state during the Age of Discord was known to have an armed force at its disposal. Andracia had no such thing. Any enemies the city might have had thought more than twice before attempting any aggression against it, thanks to the Andracian Pulse. The Pulse were, plain and simple, the largest and most successful guild of assassins in its time -- perhaps all of history. They were comprised mainly of psionic individuals whom had honed their mental might toward the art of killing, though a handful of innate potentials also existed within their ranks. The Andracian Pulse controlled its city from the shadows, calling themselves the true heartbeat -- in essence its true pulse -- as they manipulated the merchants to do their bidding. Few people were aware of their control of the largest merchant city during that age. The Pulse branded the mages of the Tower of Ages their most dangerous enemies, given their outspoken hatred of any power that was not magic. Forever did they plot the means through which they could destroy their bitter rivals... Empire Rising (xx years after Danek Empire's inception) There is no such thing as a planetary will. I'll grant that Ganemede has a spirit, but the only will that matters is humanity's. Will indomitable. Will absolute. -Emperor Kordian Danek Once the Age of Discord ended, the Danek Empire was formed. Humanity banded together, settling all disputes after Arcanus was created. With the inception of magic technology, the human race was suddenly possessed with the idea that they were the world's rightful rulers, and with Arcanus at their disposal, set to subjugating most of the continent. The world saw its first unprecedented changes during the Empire years. Elven and human relations were sundered, as humanity recklessly expanded its borders to fit its ravenous needs. Several elven kingdoms, including Sulaihlah, were ripped apart to make way for the Empire's cities and its roads. This final insult forced the elves to completely alienate themselves from humans, unable to wage war against the superpower that was Danek. The elves had tried again and again to warn humans of the coming calamity... but eventually simply let them be. The elven kingdoms were turned extremely xenophobic, and any outsiders were summarily killed upon stepping in their borders. Magic technology brought humanity together. Warring city-states such as Andracia and the Tower of Ages, for example, all joined the Danek Empire with little to no trouble. The Andracian Pulse was disbanded and assimilated into the Empire's assassin squads, while the Commune was mutated into the largest group of Empire magic engineers. These resided in the renamed Halcyon Spire, once upon a time known as the Tower of Ages, using its position on the planet's leylines to their advantage, crafting some of the most powerful Arcanus artifacts for the Empire. Meanwhile, the dwarven Iron Kingdom once more closed its doors, for one of humanity's most dangerous ideals put them all at odds. In its arrogance, the Danek Empire began to summarily subjugate any and all people it conquered that were not part of the human race. Thousands of demihumans, most notably orcs, were placed into slave labor to satisfy the growing needs of the expanding civilization. With slave labor driving ever faster its growth at an alarming place, it was fast becoming clear that the Empire was taking its toll on the land. It was a time of central human supremacy, and also a time of turmoil for all non-human races. Notable Locations: 1. Anczion: The Danek Empire became very adept at slavery, and one of its shining examples was Anczion. Anczion was a sprawling and massive city, located where before Andracia once stood. Built over what had once been the home of the Pulse, Anczion was molded and crafted entirely out of slave labor. Many a demihuman lost their lives serving the Empire's will in its creation. The city served as a central hub for the Empire's trade routes and businesses, especially when it came to the slave trade. Using Arcanus technology, Danek built a network of teleporters, all of which connected to Anczion, to better distribute slaves and all manner of goods. The city also boasted two massive fortresses. One was Silent Crimson, where the Empire kept most of its unsold and non-commissioned slaves. Silent Crimson gained its namesake for a number of reasons, most notably that it was mostly run and protected by Arcanus driven golems; not to mention that the first punishment for unruly slaves was having their tongues torn out. The fortress was created with every aspect of its design geared toward the breaking of its slaves' wills. Therefore, little hope managed to live within its overbearing walls. The other fortress residing in Anczion was Karan-ni-Danek. Credited as the Empire's most powerful and guarded castle, Karan-ni-Danek housed the emperor and his family within its walls. Other important Empire functionaries also called it their home. 2. Tajin's Keep: At the times, legends stated that the Keep had been an ancient dwarven fortress, founded by a would-be dwarven warlord named Tajin. Tajin was obsessed with claiming the Iron Kingdom for himself, and so raised an army and built his own fortress separated from the dwarven kingdom. There, he gathered strength of arms and human mages to his cause, promising them riches beyond belief in exchange for their help in taking the Iron Kingdom. The mages agreed to summon an army of monsters and beasts from the Twilight. As the story is told, the beasts immediately turned on the casters, and subsequently Tajin and his army. They were all slaughtered, and the beasts disappeared to parts unknown. During the height of the Danek Empire, Tajin's keep was found toward the eastern shore of the continent by a band of demihuman refugees as a dilapidated dwarven outpost fortress of some sorts. This they turned into a settlement, a safe haven for all who opposed the Empire's will. Little more than a slightly large underground city, the Keep was well-hidden from Danek, though by no means could it hope to oppose the superpower. There were other such free locations, such as the remaining elven kingdoms, the dwarves' underground domain, whatever orc settlements were scattered throughout Ganemede, etc... But Tajin's Keep was open to all. Given their sparse access to resources, the Keep's denizens progressively became more and more adept at the arts of thievery. Eventually the most powerful and skilled guild of thieves known throughout Ganemede's history formed within its walls. The Wraiths became very adept at stealing, especially from Empire coffers, and thus they helped Tajin's Keep to survive. But they had grown into a force unto its own, and it was only by grace of needing a base of operations that the Wraiths helped the Keep. Tajin's Keep was but several bands of refugees all holed up together in an abandoned dwarven fortress. Still, by popular vote a leader was elected by the refugees. Said leader's tenure was never defined, and elections were not organized... but as long as Tajin's Keep's leader helped its refugees to survive, he or she kept office for as long as possible. The Fallout Years Not even the elves could predict how horrible things could go in so little time. That Ganemede would fight back, this the elves knew. But that Primal Fear would also destroy most of their kingdoms, or that finally the races of the world united as one to fight back... or that the death of that nightmarish beast would sunder the world in two? No. The elves had no clue. -Anonymous In the fallout of the Primal Fear War, Ganemede found itself split in two. Held together by powerful magics, the two halves of the world were tethered together by the Halcyon Spire, what had once been known as the Tower of Ages. Life continued on with some sort of semblance of normalcy in one half of the world, where its largest continent found its foundation changed when a part of it was ripped away in the ensuing calamity. The other half none knew of, except that it was populated with horrible beasts. Fell monsters the likes of which had never been seen before. People lived in fear of invasion from the bottom half of the world, and equated its existence to that of a living hell. With the Danek Empire shattered, humanity was humbled and saw the error of its ways. Arcanus was suddenly hated throughout the remainder of the continent, and a zealous fervor for its destruction was spread throughout the remaining communities of the world. With an almost religious fanaticism, the Order of Opeth was formed. The Order revolved around the worship of the planet's spirit, despite the fact that it was not there anymore... Rather, the Order meant to call it back through whatever pious rites it could. Its other function was to establish a widespread presence of knights of the Order. These knights belonging to the Order of Opeth were tasked with keeping the peace in whatever towns and cities were left, while also hunting down and destroying Arcanus artifacts and their users. The Order was everywhere, except in the Empire's one remaining city. The elves barely had their civilization left. With most of their kingdoms destroyed, save for a handful, they still retained their xenophobic nature. Any outsiders were summarily hunted down and killed or expelled. The rest of the world's races accepted each other as best as possible, co-mingling in new settlements, or in remnants of the Danek Empire's cities. Indeed, many a ruin belonging to the world's one superpower still dotted the landscape, ready to be used by others in need. This period in time also marked the Iron Kingdom opening its doors for the first time in history. With the expeditions into the Halcyon Spire underway, and the terrible danger the monsters from the other half of the world, the dwarves set aside their bitter pride to accept the help of surface dwellers in dealing with the tower. Notable Locations: 1. The Iron Kingdom: Once a powerful and resilient realm, the underground kingdom of the dwarves has found itself diminished after the Primal Fear War. Planetary upheaval collapsed a large part of their expansive kingdom, while another was simply pulled away by the great sundering. What was left of the kingdom was still powerful enough to serve as a living testament of the dwarves' skill. Their architecture was powerful, and their battlements were exceedingly resilient. Surface dwellers could never hope to match their skill in masonry and metallurgy. However, the Halcyon Spire changed things for the dwarves. Initially viewed as a means through which they could reclaim their shattered glory, the dwarves eventually discovered just how dangerous the Spire was... and thusly opened its doors to finally set aside their pride and allow others entrance. Since then, the Iron Kingdom has shared widely their skills with the surface world, in exchange for the goods and soldiers necessary to both explore the tower and protect the kingdom from its dangers. The only known entrance to the Kingdom since the splitting of the world lies to the north of the continent, close to where the Halcyon spire once stood. The hole the spire had created when it thrust itself into the ground has long since been closed. The Iron Kingdom in itself used to be a series of hollowed out caverns of immense proportions, which were the dwarven versions of cities, though they call them Orthals in their own language. Each of the caverns were connected via a series of tunnels which were large in their own rights, and were constructed with just as much care and skill as the Orthals. At the height of their power, the Orthals and their connecting roads were majestic beyond measure. Nowadays there are only three Orthals, and sparse tunnels between them, while others simply lead to nowhere... or simply deeper into a world that the dwarves no longer know nor understand. As for the Halcyon Spire, the dwarves keep a rigid watch over the tower. None are allowed in without a sanction and a legionnaire escort. 2. First Hierarchical City (Danek): Long before, during the Age of Discord, a small mining community was settled on Mt. Danek. There, the first basic minerals for the creation of Arcanus were found. Almost immediately the manufacture of magic technology began, which snowballed into what was eventually known as the Danek Empire. With Arcanus technology, humanity became the most powerful force on the planet, and thus named their Empire after the mountain in which it all began. The small mining community eventually grew into a grand and thriving city, still retaining its mining operations, and was renamed into the Empire's First Hierarchical City. The empire's First Hierarchical City lied toward the south of Anczion. Southward still, the allied people of Ganemede made their last stand against Primal Fear. There the beast finally fell, causing such a cataclysm that it tore the southernmost parts of the continent apart from the whole, taking it all with the lower half of the world. The remnants of Primal Fear created such a blight in the area that for miles all around it, every living thing succumbed to a mutation which seemed to kill... and then reanimate as a damned and corrupt existence. The blighted land still persisted, though living beings could traverse through its ruined paths by then. Known to the rest of the world simply as Danek, but still referred to as the Hierarchical City by its residents, it managed to survive in a world that hated and despised its existence and use of Arcanus. The land surrounding Mt. Danek was blighted and dangerous, and thus the city survived. It still retained communication with the outside world through the use of magic technology-powered airships... but the communication was tenuous and strained at best. The minerals mined by the Hierarchical City were very valuable, and thus Danek merchants managed to keep a thriving economy with the outside world... though the Order of Opeth always kept a close eye on everything. An Empire fragment without an Empire, the Hierarchical City had to adapt. Many noble families lived within its borders, and thus from the nobles of the city a Magister was chosen every five years to lead them. The nobles themselves made this decision. A dichotomy existed in the city, as there were either people of means, or simply the disenfranchised and almost-poor... not to mention the homeless themselves. They did, however, have Arcanus at their disposal; which helped them to survive. Not to mention to fend off the invading Fallen from the blight lands below. The Hierarchical city was defended by an order of Arcanus-wielding knights called the Wolkenritter. The Wolkenritter, or Cloud Knights, were charged not only with policing the city, but also patrolling its borders from any and all enemies, including of course the Fallen. They did not, however, raise any arms against the Skylancers. Skylancers were basically pirates aboard airships, who frequently left the Hierarchical City to stage raids across what was left of the continent, mostly out of desperation and to keep Danek thriving. Though in essence they were non-sanctioned criminals, the Wolkenritter acknowledged their actions weren't detrimental to the city... and thus privately did nothing to stop them. 3. Blightmarshes: A vast stretch of land circling Mt. Danek, the Blightmarshes mark the site in which the last battle of the allied peoples versus Primal Fear ensued. Since then, the surrounding land has deteriorated into a corrupt swampland in which nightmarish creatures termed the Fallen make their home. Seeing as Primal Fear's original blight killed everything surrounding it outright, turning them into the undead indiscriminately, there are no real categories for the Fallen. They could be anything from humanoids to hostile plant life, all bent on ending the lives of anything that stray into their lands... and to expand their death all around them. Any creature dying within the Blightmarshes' borders finds itself as a Fallen before long, joining the greater whole in their mission to kill. However, adventurers still brave the Blightmarshes, for they are said to be the home of many a secret... Whether an overmind that controls the Fallen, or Empire bases and artifacts said to be very valuable, or even fragments of Primal Fear's body, said to be bestowed with incredible power. 4. Cressia: Situated above what was once the underground refugee town of Tajin's Keep, Cressia stands as the crown jewel of the new world. In that city the Order of Opeth was formed, and its headquarters are located there. Therefore, Cressia boasts the highest number of Order knights than in any other location at any time. Cressia opens its doors to any race willing to live within its borders, as per the new mentality the Order of Opeth imposes on everyone: to attempt to bring the spirit of Ganemede back through complete harmony. Of course, Arcanus is strictly prohibited in Cressia, to the point where people rabidly hate and actively hunt for it. The Order of Opeth retain control of Tajin's Keep, for the underground fortress still remained beneath the city... but not even the majority of the Order knew to what ends it was used. In essence, Cressia is the religious capital of the new world. And with every passing day, as the Order of Opeth spreads in power and influence, so does Cressia seem to grow in power exponentially.